UNTAMED

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UNTAMED
By John Dunkelgrün.   From April 25th through May 15th there is an exceptional exposition at the Embassy of Mexico of works by Beatriz Padilla. Padilla has worked in many countries, painting spectacular canvases in which she tries to capture the beauty of the majestic landscapes around her. Totally autodidact as a painter, she designed a special tent, that allows her to continue working outdoors, whatever the weather conditions may be. Beatriz Padilla is much more than just an exciting Mexican painter. She is in love with nature and a passionate conservationist, especially about ‘El bosque de agua’ the water forest in central Mexico that provides the water for this city of tens of millions. Born in Tenochtitlán into a political family with a tradition of nature conservation (e.g. her grandfather was one of the originators of the Muir Woods conservation area in California), she studied at the Technical University of Monterrey and lived for many years in the artist colony of Cuernavaca .   Gorilla Family15As an environmentalist she has embarked on a journey combining the art of painting with nature conservation in a new and innovative way. The Wilderness Conservation Painting Expedition (WCPE) is an applied conservation initiative, using the arts to support and communicate conservation issues of key wildlands across the globe and assist local people in communicating their relationship with these lands and receiving benefits from doing so. Some of these areas are “hotspots” and highly threatened, and some are already protected areas – all of them have a message to relate. While on location, Beatriz also engages with local communities. For example, on some expeditions, she leads art workshops with teenagers of native communities focusing on their natural and cultural heritage. These workshops culminate with an exhibit, showing the potential for these teens to generate a source of livelihood from portraying the intrinsic value of their natural environment. Most recently, Beatriz has stayed for long periods of time in the rainforest of Guatemala at Richard Hansen’s El Mirador project, and in the forests of West Africa, in Gabon, with the Lowland Gorillas. The pièce de résistance of the exposition is a large canvas executed in the reservation area Buitenplaas that is the heart and soul of Princess Irene of The Netherlands. Regular opening hours are from 9.00 to 13.00 and 14.00 to 17.00 beginig from April 23rd through May 15th (except Saturdays and Sundays).Mesoamerican reef (2) The formal opening by the Ambassador of Mexico to the Netherlands, H.E.  Eduardo Ibarolla- Nicolin, will be on Friday April 24th at 18.30. For security reasons, please announce your intention to visit in advance to Ms. Sandra Lopez, cultural attaché of the embassy (slopez@embamex.nl and with cc fwiedijk@embamex.nl ). The Embassy has limited space available, so please don’t delay or you may be disappointed. (With thanks to “The Wild Foundation”)  

VII Summit of the Americas: Panama building bridges for regional dialogue.

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VII Summit of the Americas: Panama building bridges for regional dialogue.
By H. E.  Willys Delvalle Velasco, Ambassador of the Republic of Panama.   With great determination and pride Panama has made all efforts necessary for the success of the VII Summit of the Americas, on April the 10th and 11th, and due to concerns about our region, since the very beginning proposed as the main theme: “Prosperity with Equity: The Challenge of Cooperation for the Americas”, a crucial meeting at which converge the countries of the Americas confirmed by high level of each delegation. This Summit is framed by the valuable exchange of views and the discussions on regional topics based on the eight themes that supported the main programme of the meeting: health, education, environment, citizen participation, democratic governance, migration, energy and security. Panama welcomes all participants in a friendly environment to share the concern about the difficulties that involve the countries of our hemisphere in diverse aspects, as well as the great challenges that require a common strategy, aiming to achieve the main goal: prosperity and equity for our people. Prior and parallel to the official programme of the Summit of the Americas, several pre-Conference events have been organized to take place, including four major events to strengthen the process of the presidential meeting such as the Bussiness Forum, the Youth Forum of the Americas, the Forum of Civil Society and Rectors Forum, held for the first time as an innovative high level dialogue in Panama. The First Forum of Rectors represent the space in which authorities of the foremost centers of highest education in the continent can present their points of view and recommendations on prosperity and on the highest level of education to the Heads of States and Government, as well as coordinate assessments and analyze the challenges of current situation on cooperation between universities. With great enthusiasm, Panama has been totally committed to working hard and offer the appropriate conditions for a fruitful dialogue in order to promote respect for our diversity as societies and the will of looking forward for understanding through consensus, sending a strong message that all efforts should be deployed for deep hemispheric consolidation.
Willys Delvalle Velasco (2)
H. E. Willys Delvalle Velasco, Ambassador of the Republic of Panama to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In terms of foreign policy, Panama has worked hard to promote the convergence, building bridges between nations, approaching positions and making efforts to strengthen the principles of international peace and security, returning to the historical vocation of seeking reconciliation and promoting the tools that enable the implementation of an effective and practical diplomacy. Thus, Panama offers comparative advantages to the world including all the services that have developed around our privileged geographical position, the Panama Canal has expanded as a strategic point between the logistics and multimodal platform which is available for international trade, with last generation ports in both sides of the country, on the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts, and complemented by the activities of a highly qualified financial center. It has also facilitated our air platform through the Hub of the Americas which is located in Panama city and connecting all the main cities and countries of the hemisphere with a convenient flight schedules, that gives the business, tourists and cargo a parallel connectivity al around the world. The legal stability remains the strength of commercial transactions, with incentives for multinational enterprises and creating sustained growth. We see a prosperous future ahead for this five-year period, with the optimism of the hard work of the Panamanian people, at the same time it is expected that our neighbors and friends undertake joint efforts to identify opportunities that can generate benefits for the people of the Americas, with the determination to increase cooperation and strengthen common values that can create an impact in our region. Hosting the Summit of the Americas represents and will represent Panama’s strong and decisive start of a new phase, the consolidation of a forum in which our region converges the challenge presented: is to effectively work for the welfare of the citizens of the Americas, with the expectation of generating an increase in the quality of life and human development with equity.    

Education

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Education
By Sonia Meijer, Direct Languages Center. Human intelligence is richer and  more dynamic than we have been led to believe by academic education,  I am passionate about communication, especially in teaching. As Philosopher Allan Bloom said :  ‘Education is the movement from darkness to light ‘. I believe in education as in its general sense, it is a form of learning in which  knowledge  is transferred from generation to generation, this science and the  art of how to teach is called Pedagogy . Education began in the earliest prehistory and skills deemed necessary in society. It is true English has become a global lingua franca over the past several decades. However learning another language opens up new opportunities and gives perspectives that you might never have encountered otherwise : like:  personal, professional, social and economic; all points to the advantage to learning foreign languages . It also gives the ability to step to another culture because we live  in a world where nations and people are more dependent upon one another to supply goods and services. We also live in a world of globalization and mobility, ever more urgent for people to be competent in other languages . With all these factors these are good reasons why you should be learning a foreign language .        

Minister Eugenio Matos in Buenos Aires

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Minister Eugenio Matos in Buenos Aires
By John Kennedy Stewart, special for Diplomat Magazine. After his departure from the Netherlands last December for his new diplomatic post as Minister Counselor at the Dominican Republic Embassy in Buenos Aires, Dr. Eugenio Matos G was invited as guest violinist to perform at the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Buenos Aires, on the occasion of the Francofonie, 2015. The event was hosted by Head of Diplomatic Missions and dignitaries in Argentina.  It took place last March 19th at the Theater of the Ministry of Foreign affairs in the presence of ambassadors, the press and special invitees. Mr. Matos, founder of Diplomat Magazine, was part of the professional Dominican National Symphony Orchestra in Santo Domingo. He is currently in charge of the department of public affairs of the embassy. We were proud to find this source at: http://embajadadominicana.com.ar/embajadores-de-la-francofonie/ 

50th anniversary of The Amitié-Club de la Haye

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On Monday March 30, 2015, the Amitié-Club de la Haye celebrated it’s the 50th anniversary as well as the month of the Francophone. H.E. Mrs. Ireny Comaroschi, Ambassador of Romania in the Netherlands was envisaged to deliver a lecture on Orthodox Easter traditions in her country Roumania. Furthermore, an introduction into the tradition of decorating Easter eggs. More than 85% of Roumania is Orthodox and Easter is the largest Orthodox celebration in Romania.   For a photo-album on this event, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157651312672578/ BW 007 web Two artists from Bucovina performed. Bucovina is the region in the North-West part of Moldavia, the “High Country”, that is also the region of the monasteries. Cristina Timu and Maria Zinici explained the ancestral technique passed on from generation to generation, and they demonstrated the different symbols in some of the eggs. BW 006 web

New Diplomatic Card Tax-Free

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New Diplomatic Card Tax-Free
Diplomatic Card was founded in 2006. The shareholders of Diplomatic Card have already been involved in supplying tax-free goods to the Diplomatic Corps throughout Europe and other continents for more than 45 years.

Diplomatic Card’s goal is to deliver a “five-star” service for diplomats and others eligible for tax-free fuel.

To achieve this, Diplomatic Card has developed a Card Issuing and Authorization platform in cooperation with in-country authorities and oil companies. Our platform is designed for the specific needs of the diplomatic market. With our Diplomatic Post-Paid Tax-Free Fuel Card, diplomats can fill up their cars without paying any taxes or duties. For additional info: http://www.diplomaticcard.com/nl/ 

Belgian FM meets Emirati counterpart

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Belgian FM meets Emirati counterpart
On the picture Mr. Didier Reynders Belgian Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs with His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
By Baron Henri Estramant.
 
 
Belgian Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Didier Reynders, was in Abu Dhabi paying a visit to his Emirati counterpart, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on 26 March 2015. The visit took place in the framework of the Belgian economic mission comprising 400 business people being led by HI&RH Princess Astrid of Belgium as Personal Representative of HM The King of the Belgians, Honorary Chairman of the Board of the Foreign Trade Agency. 
 
The visit was focus on economic diplomacy, and finding new ways to enhance the partnership between Belgium and the UAE. Hence the Assistant Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs
Mr Khalid bin Ghanim Al Ghaith attended the meeting alongside ambassador to Belgium, Mr Sulaiman bin Hamid bin Salem Al Mazrouei. 
 
The United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Belgium established diplomatic relations in 1973. Belgium opened an embassy the same year and appointed its first ambassador to the Emirates in 1975. The UAE reciprocated by opening an embassy in Brussels in 1976. Belgium ranks in the top eleven main trade partners for the UAE. 
 
Didier Reynders is a Belgian politician from the Wallonian party Movement Réformateur (MR). He has held the office of Minister of Foreign and European Affairs since 2011. 

The Head of Defence Office completes a working visit to New York

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The Head of Defence Office completes a working visit to New York
  Leidschendam, 1 April 2015 – Yesterday, the Head of Defence Office of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Mr François Roux, concluded a working visit to New York. During his time there, he held talks with the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, Mr Miguel de Serpa Soares, as well as with several diplomatic representatives who are members of the Tribunal’s.    

ICC welcomes Palestine as a new State Party

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ICC welcomes Palestine as a new State Party
ICC Second Vice-President Judge Kuniko Ozaki, in the presence of the President of the Assembly of States Parties, H.E. Sidiki Kaba, presents Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine Dr. Riad Al-Malki, with a special edition of the Rome Statute © ICC-CPI.   The International Criminal Court (ICC) held a ceremony on 1 April 2015 at the seat of the Court in The Hague (the Netherlands) to welcome the State of Palestine as the 123rd State Party to the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty. During the ceremony, the ICC’s Second Vice-President, Judge Kuniko Ozaki, presented the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine, Dr. Riad Al-Malki, with a special edition of the Rome Statute, as a symbol of their joint commitment to the rule of law.  The ceremony was held in the presence of the President of the Assembly of States Parties, H.E. Sidiki Kaba, a number of ICC Judges, ICC Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart and ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel. Vice-President Kuniko Ozaki stated: “Accession to a treaty is, of course, just the first step. As the Rome Statute today enters into force for the State of Palestine, Palestine acquires all the rights as well as responsibilities that come with being a State Party to the Statute. These are substantive commitments, which cannot be taken lightly.” The President of the Assembly of States Parties, H.E. Sidiki Kaba, declared that “such highly symbolic commitment confirms, once again, that people all over the world embrace the noble ideals of the ICC, that are ideals of peace and justice for all.” Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine Dr. said: “As Palestine formally becomes a State Party to the Rome Statute today, the world is also a step closer to ending a long era of impunity and injustice. Indeed, today brings us closer to our shared goals of justice and peace.”    

Kuwait hosts conference for Syria

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Kuwait hosts conference for Syria
On the picture His Highness Sabah IV Amir of Kuwait.   By Baron Henri Estramant. 31 March 2015, Kuwait City: The Third International Pledging Humanitarian Conference for Syria (Kuwait III) was held in the State of Kuwait under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and His Highness The Amir of Kuwait. The United Nations had appealed for $8.4 billion for Syria this year to help deal with the ballooning humanitarian crisis. Some 200,000 people have died and nearly half the Syrian population has been displaced by the turmoil that began with anti-government protests in 2011 and spiralled into full-scale civil war. The number of people needing humanitarian aid has increased by 2.9 million in merely ten months.
Amir-of-Kuwait-meets-Fujairah-Ruler
The Amir of Kuwait meets Fujairah’s Ruler, Amir Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi.
Although the response to the first annual conference in Kuwait in 2013 exceeded the $1.5 billion requested, last year’s conference only secured pledges of $2.4 billion towards a $6.5 billion appeal. Amir Sabah IV of Kuwait who last year was honoured by Ban Ki-Moon as a “humanitarian leader” announced a USD 500 million pledge. The conference was attended by nearly 80 governments and dozens of aid agencies, with the United States promising $507 million, Kuwait $500 million, the United Arab Emirates $100 million and Saudi Arabia $60 million. EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, was also present to pledge the EU monetary and moral support. Kuwait III conference was held just after the 26th Arab Summit in Sharm el Sheikh where the possibility of setting up a “voluntary”, pan-Arab military force of ca. 40,000 élite troops backed by jets, warships and light armour was discussed, and in principle agreed upon by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Arabia. The summit also provided the outlet for bilateral meetings amongst regional leaders including a rendezvous between Kuwait’s Amir, Sheikh Sabah IV and Fujairah’s ruler, Amir Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council of Rulers and Head of the Emirati delegation to the summit on behalf of the UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Amir of Abu Dhabi.            
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